Keavan Foss was born with Down Syndrome. When he was about 15 years old, he was having difficulty managing his feelings and his dad, Charles, was struggling to find the right programs that could really help him succeed.

Throughout this period Charles scoured the internet looking for residential facilities that could provide the extra care that Keavan needed. He was very excited because SLC looked like it could be the perfect fit. Due to funding challenges, however, Keavan had to wait almost a year before moving into SLC in October 2018.

Just like starting anything new, it took a little time for Keavan to get used to his new home. “When he first came here, Keavan needed a lot of additional support. He has become very vocal and a huge support to his household. He loves doing the dishes,” Sheryl Mohr, SLC Social Services supervisor said.

Charles said, “Whenever I go to pick him up or have meetings, the staff speaks highly of Keavan and they praise his accomplishments. I am so proud of how well Keavan is doing.”

“SLC is an extremely special place. There is pure love there. I often worried about Keavan and his well-being when he lived elsewhere, but not at LSC. The staff is so loving and I know he is getting good care.”  -Charles Foss, Keavan’s dad

Chris, a direct care professional, concurs, “He is an independent person and also very helpful. Keavan will try to help anyone. His peers seek him out  especially at lunchtime if they need help opening packages. He really helps get stuff done and gets along well with others.”

Sheryl also noted that Keavan is participating daily in school online. Before Christmas he was using one of the grant-funded Chromebooks to engage in the educational process. For Christmas his dad got him his own Chromebook. He has become proficient in logging into his school programs and he knows that every Wednesday he will ‘Zoom’ with his dad on the Chrome book.

Sheryl continued, “His dad also got him a TV and DVD player for Christmas. He has learned how to operate those independently, making him really feel like a grown-up, which he is. He’s doing a lot of things that he wasn’t able to do when he first came to SLC.”

Charles said, “St. Louis Center is truly a gift to our family.”

 


This story was originally published in the 2020 St. Louis Center Annual Report.